Goodbye

Today I received the worst news. Our sweet neighbor, Sally, passed away Monday morning.
Last night I walked across the street to her house to give her some pictures of the kids. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I could hear her two little dogs barking inside. Her sister, Peggy, lived next door, so I assumed she was over there.
And then this morning the phone rang. I answered and a cracked voice filled my ear. Struggling to get the words out, "Sally died." I just can't believe it. I look out across the street and I expect to see her standing in her living room window.
Whenever the weather was warm, I would let the kids play in the front yard. She told me how much she loved to watch them play. It was the highlight of her day. One day, she walked slowly across the street, cocktail in one hand, cigarette in the other. She went on and on about how well behaved the kids were, how they had such big cheeks. And then she glanced over at our driveway. The kids had taken off their shoes and lined them up on the cement. They were running barefoot through the grass. She looked at me and said, "Isn't that a beautiful site. How I wish I could see that in my driveway."
She taught me to recognize and appreciate the little things in life. Neither sister had any children, all they had was each other. And they reminded us often how blessed we were to have such a big family.
I will miss my friend.